Almussafes: Ford’s most flexible factory capable of producing five models simultaneously

First oil crisis (1973) was about to put an end to the multinational Ford project in Almussafes, but Henry Ford II Settling in Spain overcame the reluctance of the shareholders, with the company headquarters in Spain. detroit and starting from 1974, construction work began at the existing Valencia plant for the production of a new small-size car for the European market: Ford Fiesta. A successful model still on the market. Its production began in March 1976 and since then more than a dozen models have rolled off the production lines: escort, Hunter, ka, focus, Mazda2, C-Max, Big C Max, S Max, Galaxy, mondeo Y kuga.

One of the keys to the success of the Valencia factory, Labor flexibility; that is, the ability to tailor work shifts and schedules to produce several models at once, and this meant producing up to five different vehicle versions at some stage. Inside 2007majority union, UGTIt has already reached a historic social stability agreement with Ford Motor Company The multinational guaranteed the future workload at Almussafes as it planned the dismantling of some of its factories on the old continent. Britain (collarbone) Y Brussels (genk). Thus, the signature of the blue oval was achieved. 3,000 million euro investment between 2011 and 2018 modernizing the Valencia factory, above all adapting its lines to the new Kuga and New plant for large displacement engines, primarily for export to North America.

electrification process

Similarly, the flexibility measures that this union headquarters have recently agreed upon for the Valencia plant will come into effect from 2025 and are dependent on the issuance and demand of new electric vehicles as it stands. What level of employment will the plant require during these electrification times? Ford Almussafes had a direct workforce of 10,500 employees in the early 1990s, but after several staff cuts due to decline in demand and the abolition of the night shift, it has grown to just 6,000. Gone from producing more 400,000 cars per year Only 162,000 (According to the figures for the 2021 fiscal year), it is also due to other external factors such as the crisis in the country. microchip and previously, a drop in sales due to production shutdowns due to the coronavirus.

The future of employment at the Valencia plant will depend on demand for new electrical units. Currently, Almussafes is dependent on the Kuga (a model with hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions) as it accounts for more than 50% of its production. Ford stopped production mondeo Same for the European market from the Valencia factory in Almussafes at the end of last March and at the end of the year Transport The one aimed at the North American market and later, already in 2023 for Europe. These changes, which are already planned and whose deadlines can be changed, will continue with the models. Galaxy Y S Maxto be produced until March 2024, which will mean that from then on, the Almusssafes factory will remain with the production of a single model, the Kuga. As for the engines on which 1,000 of the 6,000 workers in the factory are currently working. eco support 2.0 and 2.3 liters and the motorcycle will be released in the last quarter of this yearr Duratec 2.5 litersA hybrid engine equipped with Kuga PEHV (plug-in hybrid). Therefore, the level of production of new electric vehicles – the multinational has not yet announced this – will also be key to knowing the direct employment of the plant.

providers

Also head of the AVIA automotive cluster, Monica CheerfulBringing together 120 companies related to the automotive sector (sectors), metal mechanic, plastic, engineering, Services, logistics, packaging and packaging Y consultants) acknowledges that the maintenance of the Almussafes plant by Ford is positive for the entire Valencian industry as it benefits directly and indirectly from the multinational company’s driving force. Currently, the joint turnover of the associated companies is more than 11,800 million Euros, representing 11.24% of the Valencia Community turnover. The group of companies gathered in the cluster directly employs approximately 24,500 people. According to the data compiled for the preparation of the AVIA 2021-2024 Strategic Plan, this figure represents 6.86% of the region’s industrial employment. Major suppliers of Ford Almussafes in the park adjacent to the factory, such as Gestamp, Faurecia, Grupo Antolín, Autotrim, Magna or Lear, are now waiting for the new workload created by new electric cars.

Source: Informacion

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